1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information recording medium, and more particularly, to an information recording medium having new functions and improved performance compared to existing data storage media and still completely compatible with an existing drive or apparatus for recording data on an information recording medium, a method of recording and/or reproducing data on/from an information recording medium, an apparatus for recording and/or reproducing data on/from an information recording medium, and a computer-readable recording medium, on which a program enabling the method is recorded.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, optical data storage media, such as optical discs, are widely used in an optical pickup apparatus which records data on and/or reproduces data from the optical data storage media without physically contacting the optical data storage media. Optical discs are classified into compact discs (CDs) or digital versatile discs (DVDs) according to their storage capacities. Examples of an optical disc on which data can be recorded and from which data can be erased and reproduced include a 650 MB CD-R, a CD-rewritable (RW), a 4.7 GB DVD+R/RW, a DVD-random access memory (RAM), and a DVD-R/RW. Examples of an optical disc from which data can only be reproduced include a 650 MB CD and a 4.7 GB DVD-ROM. Also, the development of high density (HD) DVDs or Blu-ray (BD) discs with a storage capacity of at least 15 GB has been almost accomplished, and the development of super-resolution near-field structure (super RENS) discs or hologram discs with an even higher storage capacity than HD DVDs or BD discs is now under way.
Currently, research has been carried out on the design of recordable DVD standards, which provide newly developed data storage media with perfect compatibility with an existing drive or apparatus for recording data on an information recording medium in terms of data recording and reproducing. In particular, various efforts have been made to develop media technologies that can maintain excellent recording characteristics of the newly developed data storage media even at low recording speed and can enable the newly developed data storage media to be perfectly compatible with an existing drive or apparatus for recording data on an information recording medium. However, since there are various types of discs (e.g., a DVD-RAM, a DVD-RW, and a DVD-R), information indicating whether each of the various types of discs is recordable and/or reproducible should be specified somewhere on a corresponding disc, together with information on the recording speed of the corresponding disc.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating why it is necessary to record compatibility information, specifying whether each area on the information recording medium is recordable and/or reproducible, on each information recording medium. Specifically, FIG. 1 illustrates three discs and three drives. Referring to FIG. 1 suppose that disc A, which has 1X recording speed and is used in drive A, is a disc of version 1, disc B, which has 1X-2X recording speed and is used in drive B, is a disc of version 2 developed by adding predetermined functions to the disc of version 1, and disc C, which has 1X-4X recording speed and is used in drive C, is a disc of version 3 developed by adding other predetermined functions to the disc of version 2. Sometimes, a user having the drive A may have to use a disc of a higher version than the disc A, e.g., the disc B or C. Since the disc B or C supports 1X recording speed, it may be compatible with the drive A theoretically. However, without knowing whether data can be recorded and/or reproduced on and/or from user data areas on discs B or C, it is difficult to record data on or reproduce data from discs B or C.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a conventional disc. Referring to FIG. 2, a lead-in area is disposed along the inner circumference of the conventional disc, a lead-out area is disposed along the outer circumference of the conventional disc, and a user data area, in which user data is recorded, is disposed between the lead-in area and the lead-out area.
The lead-in area includes a pre-recorded zone, on which predetermined data has already been written and from which the predetermined data cannot be erased but can only be reproduced, and a recordable zone, on which data can be written or overwritten and from which data can also be erased.
The pre-recorded zone is a control data area, in which control data is recorded. The control data includes information on the type, version, size, recording speed and recording parameters of the conventional disc.
The recordable zone includes a buffer area, a defect management area (DMA), a test area, and a conventional disc/conventional drive state information area.
The buffer area serves as a buffer between the pre-recorded zone and the recordable zone.
The DMA stores defect information, such as the addresses of replacement data that respectively replace defective data in the user data area. The DMA also stores a conventional disc definition structure (DDS), which is illustrated in FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 3, the DDS includes conventional disc manufacturer authentication information, which is used for authenticating a conventional disc manufacturer, user authentication information, which is used for authenticating a conventional disc user, and a write protection flag, which prevents data from being recorded on a conventional disc.
The test area is tested for determining an optimum recording power for recording data in the user data area.
The conventional disc/conventional drive state information area stores information on the state of the conventional disc or a conventional drive.
Korean Patent Publication No. 2000-5588 submitted by the same applicant of the present invention, discloses a method of recording a write protection flag on a disc so that data can be prevented from being recorded on any area on the disc with the exception of a DMA, in which a result of testing a lead-in/lead-out area on the disc with the use of a drive and defect information are recorded. However, the DMA is of great importance because address information of replacement data, replacing defective data in a data area of the disc, is recorded in the DMA. Therefore, there is a need to mark the DMA as recordable and/or reproducible separately from the data area. In addition, it is possible to provide various recording and/or reproducing information areas on the disc by marking each area on the disc as recordable and/or reproducible.
Moreover, if a disc which is based on new disc standards and whose version is yet to be known is installed in a drive or apparatus for recording data on an information recording medium, a user may have difficulty deciding whether to record and/or reproduce data on and/or from the disc because it is difficult to determine whether the disc is recordable and/or reproducible.